I know (or at least hope) you're waiting for Rambling Podcast #2, but in the meantime, here's a little something... I'll be running out of natural catastrophes at some point, so enjoy while it lasts !
I told you at length about the Wood Brothers' Ways not to Lose, which I still enjoy thoroughly and recommend heartily. Similarly acoustic, I was tempted by Amazon's recommendations to sample Xavier Rudd on the basis of my love for John Butler's music. I purchased his latest record Food in the Belly and after my first few listens I must confess to not having been entirely convinced. He's a good guitar player and singer, but the material was a little too laid back for my tastes. Where Butler's main background is folk, which he twists in his own way, Rudd's seems to be reggae, similarly twisted. Recently however, I managed to get hold of a bootleg recording of his which convinced me to give the CD another chance and I suspect it's growing on me... Still, the nest bits in my opinion are not those that sound reggae-ish but those where he uses aborigene instruments to liven up the songs. Mana , in particular, has this deep rumbling didgeridoo backing that sounds really exciting and evolves into a very modern , groove beat. Food in the Belly is one of those records that needs to be digested slowly, I guess, but I'm sufficiently intrigued to check out Rudd's previous releases if I manage to get hold of them.
While on the subject of pop artists who mix in traditional elements, and despite there being very little musical connexion between Rudd's album and the one I'm going to mention now : French singer and wannabe gipsy guitarist Sanseverino released his
third album this week, entitled Exactement. Similar formula to the previous two with gipsy
guitar being the main backing, but there are lots of swing era horns
added to the mix for an overall excellent release. Sanseverino's
hilarious lyrics and rocket-paced delivery fit the musical genre well.
It's pop and doesn't pretend to be anything else, but it's also
seriously cool music, with the best jazz guys backing him. Content
wise, Exactement is a little more political than the previous
Sanseverino releases, probably a consequence of the proximity of major
French elections. Still, even when he's political, Sanseverino manages
to be funny and quirky... I don't normally mention French pop here, since you're missing something if you don't speak French, but in Sanseverino's case, the music is so cool you don't need to understand the lyrics to enjoy !
A lot of interesting pop releases these last few weeks, and one of the ones that I awaited the most was the new G Love and Special Sauce, always a thrill as far as I'm concerned. I was especially eager for this release since the previous one, The Hustle, was one of my favourite, with a dirty, groove-rock sound that I hadn't heard since their debut album. Lemonade
At around the same time G's record was release, Gov't Mule launched their 7th studio album, High and Mighty, the second one with stable post guest bassist period. I wasn't that hot on the previous one, Dejà Voodoo, which I felt was a little too classic rock for my taste. High & Mighty is no different. It's a good rock album, but I can't help but feel that Gov't Mule has lost it's thing. The early mule used to have a particular approach to writing. Alongside songs that wouldn't have sounded at odds on 70s Led Zep albums, you'd always find those odd numbers that either had a weird groove (like Thorazine Shuffle or Blind Man in the Dark) or a more elaborate jazz influence (like Birth of the Mule), songs that, to me, made the Mule the Mule. I felt that carried through to the post Woody era, with tunes like Beautifully Broken or Sun Dance. But I don't hear it anymore. So what I'm left with is a good rock album that sounds like it was done in the 70s, but fails to grip me. Oh well...
It's starting to sound like the last few months have been nothing like sour grapes musically, but that's actually not the case. I have made a couple of interesting, if not downright thrilling discoveries in rock that are well worth mentioning. First is Wolfmother, an Australian power trio which also bows to classic 70s rock on their self-titled debut album. In fact, some may say that I'm being unfair to Gov't Mule since Wolfmother could be described as derivative as well, but I don't know... They really updated the sound, it feels modern, dirtyer, thicker. Sure, there's lots of Zeppelin and Black Sabbath in their approach, but I feel like they have the potential to express a more personal voice and already do, to some extent. Songs like Dimensions or Joker & the Thief have that little something that tingles my ear...
A much more exciting discovery, however, has been Spanish flamenco-prog band Elbicho. Okay, you'll ask, what the devil is flamenco-prog ? It's prog-rock with a heavy dose of flamenco guitar and vocals, a wonderful flute and a layer of Spanish horns on top. It's a surprising mix at first, but it really works. I first found their record Elbicho II after having read a review in a rock magazine, and really fell in love with its intricate construction, it's energy, it's palpable emotion (even when you don't understand the lyrics or the sleevenotes, which is my case). I've now acquired Elbicho and a live DVD thanks to spanish harp player Andrès, but I haven't had time to digest these yet.
On the blues-ier side, I finally put my hands on JJ Milteau's Pacific Blue, a self-produced live album that is only on sale at JJ's concerts outside of France due to legal reasons. What a shame ! It's fresh, the sound is beautiful, Manu Galvin's acoustic guitar playing is stunning, very reminiscent of Robben Ford's electro-acoustic sound and phrasing on Authorised Bootleg. Demi Evans' voice is stunningly gospel, shifting from velvety to growly in a blink. JJ's sound is the best I've heard of his live stuff, full-bodied, round, clear, and as sparse as can be dared live. It really is a very good sample of what a Milteau gig sounds like these days. The opening Ode to Billy Joe is my pick of the album, superb and moving. The tracks with Demi singing are mostly from Milteau's Blue 3rd; At Last on Time is particularly thrilling. There's even an uptempo version of Stormy Monday with that jazzy Allman Bros chord progression. Very cool. That means get it of you can, and if you do it means you've seen JJ live and probably would have bought the album anyway !
Another harmonica heavy album that arrived through the mail is the latest release of the late Junior Wells, Live at Theresa's, which Delmark kindly sent me for review. Why this record never saw the light of day despite being recorded in 1975, I have no idea and the liner notes aren't telling. It's not a live recording like any other, in particular because the in-between song jive that Junior was famous for hasn't been edited, so what you get is a complete night of music just like it was back then (expect it's built together from two dates with slightly different line-ups). Overall, it works, even if the concert never reaches the intensity of, say, Drinkin' TNT and Smokin' Dynamite. This feels more relaxed though, more like "An Evening with Junior Wells". It's better in my opinion than the Live at the Golden Bear. Junior's voice sounds way better. The band is pretty good although I much prefer the Sammy Lawhorn lineup in the second half than the Phil Guy lineup in the first half. And the banter... Well, it's intrusive, but it doesn't wreck the song themselves like it does on Last Time Around. The repertoire is classic Junior (Snatch it Back and Hold It, Love her with a Feeling, Come on in this House, Messing with the Kid,...) with a few classic blues tunes including a really cool version of Goin' Down Slow that I suspect has inspired the Derek Trucks Band for their own cover of that tune. Overall a good record, expecially recommended if you want to experience what a gig in Junior's heyday must have felt like...
Based on the recommendations of JP over at ICGS and simultaneous encouragements by my good friend Marcus from over the big pond (not to be confused with my good sprout-eating friend Marcus formerly from over the little pond) I finally acquired an album I'd heard of for a few years, the Charlie Hunter Quintet's Right Now Move, featuring Grégoire Maret on harmonica. I loved it from the get go and it's been seeing the inside of my CD player a lot laterly. Hunter's funky grooves are very cool, and his playing is quite stunning when you try to figure out what he's doing with his weird bassitar of his. He can move from sounding like Hendrix and a bassist to sounding like Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith, all by hisself. Stunning and musical. My only (mild) dissapointment is that Maret again fails to impress me. He's not bad or anything, he just sounds too tight, like he's in control all the time, never lets go... Still, I'll be getting more Charlie Hunter and there's a DVD of the Quintet I'm eyeing as well as records by his other band, Garage à Trois which sounds more experimental and loud!
And while we're on the subject of jazz, I've been on a great gipsy jazz kick lately. It started when I bought 2 double-CD compilations of modern gipsy jazz guitar and enjoyed them thoroughly. This infectious rhythm is just so hard to resist... Up to that point I'd only heard Django himself, but none of his disciples. I therefore discovered amazing musicians like Raphaël Faÿs, Tchavolo Shmitt, Romane, Stochelo Rosenberg and, of course Bireli Lagrene. Bireli in particular impressed me with his capacity to play within the formal constraints of the genre and yet sound like he's digested all that happened in Jazz after Django. So I went and purchased a double CD compilation of his Gipsy Project which included the original Gipsy Project album as well as Gipsy Project and Friends (and a few live bonus tracks). Stunning stuff. Amongst covers of Django originals or jazz standards the Hot Club Quintet loved to interpret, are manouche rewrites of Chanson Française tunes, and overall, the marvelous virtuosity of Lagrene's acoustic guitar and Florian Niculescu's furious violin backed by a rock solid pumping rhythm section. Listen to When Day is Gone if you get a chance, I bet you'll be hooked !
Well, that's about it for now. I still have a few records I should tell you about, but I feel I haven't listened to them enough to form an opinion. I'd love some feedback, as usual, and I especially encourage those who disagree with my subjective opinions to voice their disagreement (courteously) so that readers don't just have my view! I also remind you that all the amazon links above earn Harmonica Ramblings a little income to offset the hosting fees, so if you're interested in some of these records and intend to buy them through Amazon, please click here first !
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